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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26539972">Koi</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uncle_Riko/pseuds/Uncle_Riko'>Uncle_Riko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:48:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,067</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26539972</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uncle_Riko/pseuds/Uncle_Riko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How hard could it be? The anime protagonists were always walking away with goldfish.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sakurauchi Riko/Tsushima Yoshiko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Koi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>lmao it's getting to be like an old married couple: fics only on birthdays and special occasions</p><p>happy bday Riko!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Staring out at the starry sky, arms propped against the window sill, a wistful sigh escaping her lips, Yoshiko felt like the stereotypical slice of life anime protagonist. What was supposed to be a summer brimming with youth, with excitement and adventure, was slowly slipping away.  The days were growing shorter, the leaves on the trees were changing color; autumn was rearing its ugly head.</p><p>…Except that was just Yoshiko being dramatic. Initially, she had planned to make the most of her summer. She was going to go to the beach, shop for new clothes, maybe take up a new hobby, but as was wont to happen, she mostly spent her days holed up in her room playing video games and watching anime (a stereotypical otaku protagonist, apparently). But that didn’t make the end of summer any less bittersweet.</p><p>She rolled onto her bed, this time with more of a groan than a sigh. As much as she enjoyed laying around all day doing nothing, she kind of felt obligated to do at least <em>something</em> summery before she went back to school. Could you really call it summer vacation otherwise? And besides, everyone knows the whole summer icebreaker thing was going to work its way into conversation sooner or later when school resumed.</p><p>She got up to turn the lights off, catching sight of the crinkled flier she’d haphazardly tossed on her desk earlier. She always felt awkward turning down fliers and coupons that people were handing out on the streets. Hell, she even paid for some dude’s mixtape last time she was in the city because she felt bad for him and—oh right, the flier.</p><p>Hmm, the end-of-summer festival, huh. It was this weekend according to the flier. What perfect timing, maybe that could satisfy her one summer-time obligation?</p><p>She’d been to the same festival couple times over the years and always had a good time. She’d make a whole thing of it, dressing up in a yukata, the whole nine yards. She’d always go under the guise of meeting up with others so her mother wouldn’t pity her for never going anywhere with friends. She did have friends of course, mostly online ones, but they were either halfway across the country or too self-absorbed in otakudom to engage in such normie activities like going to a festival. But still, she’d found just walking around the festival by herself to be enjoyable; there was always good food and games to play, even if she didn’t have any company.</p><p>A bout of déjà vu hit her. It felt like this exact same scenario happened last summer, perhaps even the summer before that: wasting the days away, regretting not making the most of the time off, only to go to the summer festival at the last minute. She wouldn’t have to be all brooding and melodramatic if she just remembered she did this every year.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>As the evening of the festival approached, Yoshiko dug out all the necessary garments and accessories she’d need; most of them untouched since the summer prior.</p><p>Expertly, she tied the obi to her yukata, pulling her ensemble together. Her yukata was a vivid magenta with scattered white lilies – she wasn’t the most accustomed to wearing bright colors, but it was a hand-me-down from her mother, it’s not like she was going to go out and buy a new one. Besides, it always brought her a little joy to see her mother beaming at the sight of her daughter wearing her old yukata.</p><p>The festival was in full swing by the time Yoshiko had arrived. She didn’t really have a plan of attack, because, well, who actually does when they visit a festival?</p><p>The food stalls immediately caught her eye as she instinctively checked her kinchaku; she’d rationed off just enough of her allowance to hit all the usual joints, but that was only if she was smart with her money.</p><p>Soon enough, she was down a couple hundred yen and chomping down on a shiny candied apple, because why not start with dessert, right? She ate and walked, taking in all the sights and sounds. People-watching at festivals was particularly enjoyable—watching others fail miserably at games, or scouting out all the yummy food other people had procured never got old. And if there was alcohol involved you can bet things could easily get pretty rowdy.</p><p>And, as was perhaps due to her own shortcomings, Yoshiko was always fascinated by the overabundance of couples that could be seen at every turn. There was something about festivals as a date spot: the dressing up nice, the romantic allure of fireworks, etc. etc. It’s almost as if she drew some sort of vicarious pleasure from seeing all the happy couples, knowing full well that the thought of herself enjoying a festival while wrapped around someone’s arm was just a mere fantasy.</p><p>Yoshiko shook her head vigorously, snapping out of her trance; she was getting all introspective again. She found herself at the end of the row of stalls, where the crowd was more dispersed, and the lightning and clamor had all been dialed down.</p><p>The very last stall appeared to be un-manned, but housed a small pool that Yoshiko gravitated towards. The pool was filled with colorful goldfish, dozens upon dozens of them. Funnily enough, as classic a game as goldfish scooping was, Yoshiko had never once tried it. She always thought she’d look lame just mindlessly swatting at fish by herself; it always felt like a game you should play with others.</p><p>She bent down to get a closer look at the goldfish in the pool. She smiled; there was something tranquil, mesmerizing about the fish flitting about in the water.</p><p>“Fancy a try? Only 100 yen.”</p><p>Yoshiko recoiled, nearly falling on her back. A redhead was nonchalantly crouched down next to her.</p><p>“Sorry haha,” the girl laughed, “you looked so cute, all focused and what not, didn’t want to yell at you from behind the stall.”</p><p>Yoshiko blushed. <em>Cute?? </em>“I-It’s fine…”</p><p>“Well? Down to give it a shot?”</p><p>“S-Sure…” Forget the fish, the girl in front of her was mesmerizing. Her golden eyes were dazzling, sparkling, rivaling even the fish in the pool. Her smile, warm and inviting, made it impossible for Yoshiko to turn her down.</p><p>Yoshiko handed over her money before carefully scrutinizing the net she was given. Now, she’d never played this game before, but the net looked <em>awfully </em>thin. She’d heard games like these were scams, but come on, how hard could it be? The anime protagonists were always walking away with goldfish.</p><p>The redhead noticed her skepticism, laughing again, “Hey, gotta make it challenging somehow, right?”</p><p>Yoshiko took a deep breath before crouching down next to the pool. I-It’s not like there was any pressure right…? A cute girl looking on, a literal paper-thin net, and the Fast and Furious of goldfish going on just within arm’s reach – should be a cinch…!</p><p>She took sight of her target, a plump, slower-moving fish. Tracking it with her eyes, her arm took a quick dive, plunging the net into the water with a splash. Not surprisingly, the entire school of fish immediately scattered from the radius of impact.</p><p>The redhead attendant could be seen clasping her mouth with her hand, an audible snort being held back.</p><p>Yoshiko’s cheeks quickly took on the color of her yukata. “I-I’m just getting warmed up, ok…!”</p><p>She took another deep breath, this time simply finding the nearest fish to prey on. Without hesitation she took another heavy swipe, again, coming up with nothing but water.</p><p>Before the redhead could say anything (or before Yoshiko lost her temper), Yoshiko took a third stab at the water, a glimmer of hope elicited in her eyes as a fish was entangled in her net, only for that hope to immediately dissipate, as the fish slipped through the now-gaping hole in her net.</p><p>“T-This is rigged!” she exclaimed.</p><p>“Can I offer you some tips?” the redhead offered, gracious, yet teasingly. She took Yoshiko’s stubborn silence as a yes, swinging around the booth to Yoshiko’s side. She placed a fresh net in Yoshiko’s hands. “Don’t worry, this one’s on the house.”</p><p>The nervousness was ramping up—on top of the frustration of completely embarrassing herself, Yoshiko had never been this close to another human being in her life! …Ok that was probably a lie. She’d never been this close to a <em>cute girl</em>, however.</p><p>“May I?” With a head nod of consent from Yoshiko, the redhead placed her hands on top of Yoshiko’s, slowly guiding them towards the water. “You have to be quick, but make your movements fine and subtle. It’s all about the angle you enter and exit the water.” With a quick flick of the wrist, Yoshiko found herself in sole control of the net once more, the paper intact and occupied by a single goldfish.</p><p>For a moment, she was stunned, unable to do or say anything. The fish wriggled about in her net, almost escaping back to the watery sanctuary below. As Yoshiko stood there, dumbfounded, the attendant had the sense to transfer the fish into a plastic bag, thanking Yoshiko for her patronage.</p><p>Yoshiko left in a hurried daze soon after, ignorant of the fact that her prized goldfish was being sloshed around in her clutches. She had thanked the attendant in return, bowing awkwardly before scampering away, but really wasn’t quite sure what to make of what had just happened.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Yoshiko stared into the eyes of the goldfish, who stared back, expressionless. She’d really just spent the entire morning at her desk, staring at a fish, replaying in her mind the events that transpired the night before.</p><p>Sure, the goldfish scooping itself was impressive, but that was merely the cherry on top. The way she’d taken Yoshiko’s hands, the warmth of not only that, but her smile and laugh—Yoshiko had never felt so captivated by a stranger.</p><p>Lost in her daydreams about the redheaded-goldfish-scooping master, a sudden thought popped into her head. “Oh right,” she directed her attention back to the goldfish, “I should probably get you a bowl and some food, huh?”</p><p>Luckily, the pet store was a stone’s throw away from her apartment; she could easily walk there. And this particular afternoon just happened to be bright and sunny. So much for the end of summer. But she’d forgotten all about that by now.</p><p>With her hand on the door handle, she practically ducked out of the way upon seeing who was manning the front counter. It was the girl from the festival, who else? Now there was no doubt in her mind: Yoshiko was sure she was the main protagonist of her own anime. It did kind of make sense though. Who else in this town would have that many goldfish at their disposal?</p><p>“Hey! Long time no see.” The redhead waved cheerfully as Yoshiko shyly approached the counter. “Just couldn’t get enough of me, huh?”</p><p>“B-But I-I didn’t even know you worked here! I—”</p><p>“Relax, I’m just kidding! Obviously, you’re here to buy some supplies for your goldfish right? Pretty sneaky set-up we got here, huh? Y’all catch the fish, then you’re roped into coming here to buy the supplies. And as it so happens, we’d get to meet each other again~”</p><p>Yoshiko ducked out of the way for real this time, hiding her immaculate blush. Was she…was she being flirted with…?</p><p>Quickly, she flew through the aisles, picking out a bowl at random and a can of food. On one hand, she wanted to escape and hide away in embarrassment for all of eternity. But on the other hand, something about this girl was making her heart race and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She really couldn’t decide <em>what</em> emotion she was feeling.</p><p>She placed her items on the counter to be rung up, avoiding all eye contact with the cute cashier.</p><p>The redhead smiled softly, decidedly easing up as she took note of Yoshiko’s bashfulness. “Here’s your receipt.”</p><p>Yoshiko took the paper, noticing some writing on the back through the translucence.</p><p>“It’s my—er, the shop’s number. Give me a call if you have any questions about the goldfish.” The confident redhead herself now exhibited what resembled a blush. “O-Or if you wanted to know more about me, t-that’d be ok too…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>&gt; writes fic for Riko's bday<br/>&gt; makes it all about yoshiko<br/>&gt; doesn't even address riko by name</p></blockquote></div></div>
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